Carseat help please

la79al

DD2 needs a new carseat.  She is in a cheapy one now and we just discovered she is over the max weight.  I am not sure that she is mature enough for just a belted booster.  I am looking at convertible seats but really, looking to spend less than $100, I am having problems finding one that harnesses past 40 lbs.  I am hoping to find one that will be better for her to sleep in (ie, more tilt than traditional highback boosters) but that will last for awhile (age 8 would be great). Size of the seat itself is not an issue.  Suggestions?

penguingrrl

At about to turn 4 and just 40 lbs I definitely would avoid using a belt positioning booster at this point. You want her harnessed for another year or so, then it's up to you to assess her maturity and see if she's ready for a belt positioning booster (there's no evidence that a harness provides a safety advantage over a booster for a child who is over 40 lbs and over 5 years old and some evidence showing the booster may be safer). 

I would look at the harmony defender. It has tall top harness slots and a weight limit that will get her to 5+ without a problem. 

Also, an FYI, but a seat is also able to be outgrown by height. Once the child's shoulders are above the top harness slots or the top of the shell is even with the tops of the ears the seat is no longer usable regardless of weight. Most kids hit the height limit long before hitting the weight limit, but that isn't advertised well since it's a little harder to measure since overall height isn't the key factor, it depends on torso height only.

Angela814

If you have a Burlington Coat Factory near you, they are clearancing out the Evenflo Titan65 (must be the 65 model). It goes for around $60.

https://www.burlingtoncoatfactory.com/babydepot/Baby-Gear/Convertible-Car-Seats/Titan-65-Car-Seat-Tonal-351791533.aspx

Otherwise BRU has the Evenflo SureRide, which is the same seat (with more padding/colors I think). It is $100, but you can often find 20-25% coupons online.

It harnesses to 65 lbs/54". I just bought one as a backup, and my then 54" almost 8 yo fit in it just barely by height. Her ears were right at the top of the shell, but she had an inch of harness slot above her (top slot is 19"). It's super easy to install ffing with the seatbelt or latch.

https://mobile.walmart.com/search/Evenflo sureride

Looks like the plum color is on sale at Walmart for $77.

Angela814

I almost forgot about the Evenflo Maestro. It harnessed to 50 lbs withan 18" top harness slot and then converts to a booster (19" top belt guide). It runs about $80 also.

https://mobile.walmart.com/ip/Evenflo-Maestro-Harnessed-Booster-Car-Seat-Taylor/35847027?type=search

I've been trying to see if I can find a great deal on any one of those 3 seats. My dd2 just turned 4 and is 40 lbs/ 42". Her spare seat expires in December, and I'm not sure if I want an extra harnessed seat for her or if she'll be able to occasionally use a HBB at 4.5 years.